Can top handle



y 5, 1953 E. s. FISHER 2,637,465

CAN TOP HANDLE Filed Dec. 16, 1949 Edward 5. Fisher INVENTOR.

Patented May 5, 1953 UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE CAN TOP HANDLE Edward S. Fisher, Billings, Mont.

Application December 16, 1949, Serial No. 133,273

1 Claim. 1

This invention comprises novel and useful improvements in can top handles, and more specifically pertains to handles for the covers of sealed containers, wherein it is necessary to cut the cover from the can.

Objects of this invention are to provide a can top handle which may be compactly folded against the cover of a can, for shipping or storing, and which handle can be upwardly bent so as to be engageable for use.

Various important features of this invention reside in the provision of means to rigidly secure one end of the can tophandle to the cover of a can, the other end of the handle having projections which laterally space the unsecured end from the can, thereby facilitating the bending of the handle into its useful position.

These together with various other ancillary objects and features are attained by this invention, a preferred embodiment of which has been illustrated by Way of example only in the accompanying drawings, wherein:

Figure 1 is an elevational perspective view of the can top handle.

Figure 2 is a top view of the can top handle secured to the cover of a .can.

Figure 3 is a fragmentary elevational side view of the can top handle shown secured to the cover of a can, part of the can being broken away.

Referring now more particularly to the accompanying drawings, wherein like numerals designate similar parts throughout the various views, the can top handl indicated generally by the numeral H) has a first end [2 rigidly secured to the cover 14 of a can 16, by any desirable means. Preferably, however, the end l2 of the handle it], which is to be secured to the cover Id of the can it, is provided with an enlarged portion having an aperture ill for receiving a suitable fastening means 20. However, since it is obviously desirable to have no apertureswhich extend through the cover M of the can I 6, and thereby impair its sealing qualities, the fastening means 20 may Well consist of a drop of solder or the like.

Adjacent the enlargedportion of the secured end l2 of the handle I is a section 22 which is preferably of reduced cross sectional area as compared to the other portions of the handle l0, so as to provide a point, intermediate the ends of the handle Ill, whereby the handle may be easily upwardly bent.

Secured to the second end 24 of the handle ID are a pair of depending projections 26 which laterally space the free end 24 from the cover M of the can It, thereby providing a space between the cover and the handle wherein an object such as a fingernail may be inserted for bending the han dle relative to the cover l4. Obviously the projections 25 may be formed in the material of the handle I0, and may, as shown in the preferred embodiment, consist of projections formed integrally of the longitudinal edges of the handle [0.

It is to be noted that the handle l0 may be of any desired dimension, that the end ll! of the handle I0 may be secured to any portion of the cover M of the can l6. However, in order to facilitate the opening of the can It, the handle "3 may be secured near to the edge of the cover l4, so that the handle l0 may be bent so as to overlie the edge 28 of the can I6, the can edge 28 thereby supporting the cover M by means of the handle l0, thereby preventing the cover from falling into the contents of the can, after the cover M has been severed from the can l6 by means of a can opener or the like.

From the foregoing, it is believed that the manner of operating the device and the advantages arising therefrom will be readily understood and accordingly further explanation is believed to be unnecessary. However, since numerous modifications will readily occur to those skilled in the art, after a consideration of the foregoing specification and attached drawings, it is not intended to limit the invention to the exact construction shown and described, but all suitable modifications and equivalents may be resorted to falling within the scope of the appended claim.

Having described the invention, what is claimed as new is:

In combination with a metallic can including a cover permanently fixed thereto and having a flat exterior surface, handle means comprising a flat bendable metallic strip having first and sec ond ends and an intermediate portion, said first end having a centrally apertured enlarged por tion, a solder bond extending through said aperture and permanently fixing said first end to the exterior surface of said cover, said enlarged portion being disposed eccentrically of the cover and in relatively close proximity to the marginal edge of said can, said intermediate portion being of a reduced width adjacent said first end whereby said handle means will bend at the point of reduced width, and an integral depending projection carried by each longitudinal edge of said strip, each projection being disposed adjacent said second end, said strip being of a length so that when bent upon itself said second end overlies the marginal edge of said cover to prevent the cover from falling into the can when severed.

EDWARD S. FISHER.

References Cited in the file of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS Number Name Date 428,343 Lambert May 20, 1890 627,064 Klein June 13, 1899 1,772,322 Peterson et a1. Aug. 5, 1930 1,829,533 Ondricek Oct. 27, 1931 1,907,364 Prahl et a1. May 2, 1933 1,990,705 McMillan Feb. 12, 1935 2,029,328 Ljungstrom Feb. 4, 1936 2,085,979 Hothersall July 6, 1937 2,348,542 Hodgson May 9, 1944 

